Catheter and method for manufacturing same

Abstract

Disclosed is a catheter comprising an elongate tubular body. The elongate tubular body extends along a longitudinal axis between a proximal end and a distal end. The elongate tubular body has a lumen. At least a portion of the elongate tubular body is defined by a first coil. The first coil comprises a plurality of windings extending thereabout along the longitudinal axis. The first coil is disposed near the distal end of the elongate tubular body and comprises at least one first region comprising a plurality of adjacent windings. The first region has a plurality of windings inserted therein from at least one second coil. The inserted windings of the second coil are positioned between the windings of the first coil, and the first coil further comprises at least one second region comprising a plurality of adjacent windings. The second region does not have a winding inserted from the second coil.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates to medical devices and apparatus, and in particular to catheters or microcatheters and methods of making same. [Background technology]

[0002] Catheters are thin, flexible tubes used in interventional operations to help advance therapeutic devices to target sites within the body. For example, during a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for a chronic total occlusion (CTO), a catheter may be used in conjunction with a guidewire to advance a stent into a narrowed portion of a blood vessel and form a channel through which the guidewire passes.

[0003] For current interventional catheters, the distal part is generally supported by a coil layer and / or a braided layer having a relatively high flexibility in order to improve the operability of the catheter and avoid damage to the blood vessel wall. However, in some cases, the flexibility of the distal part may cause a lack of pushability during surgery using such devices, making it difficult to push the flexible distal part for advancement in some blood vessels, making it difficult for the catheter to accurately reach the target site and increasing the time of the surgical procedure. In addition, when the catheter distal part is stuck in the stenotic lesion area or in other conditions (such as pulling the catheter out of the body), a pulling force needs to be applied to the catheter, and at this time, the catheter distal part having a higher flexibility may exhibit an unfavorable reaction such as tensile deformation, unwinding, or bending under the influence of the pulling force, resulting in the risk that the guidewire may be bent or twisted.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need to provide a catheter that provides improved support and passability to overcome or partially overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings and provide an alternative option to existing products. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The features and advantages of the present disclosure will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious in the description, or may be learned by the practice of the principles disclosed herein. The features and advantages of the present disclosure may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a catheter is provided that includes an elongated tubular body, the elongated tubular body extending along a longitudinal axis between a proximal end and a distal end, the elongated tubular body having a lumen. At least a portion of the elongated tubular body is defined by a first coil, the first coil including a plurality of windings extending therearound along the longitudinal axis. The first coil is disposed near the distal end of the elongated tubular body and includes at least one first region including a plurality of adjacent windings, the first region having therein a plurality of windings inserted from at least one second coil, the inserted windings of the second coil being positioned between the windings of the first coil, the first coil further includes at least one second region including a plurality of adjacent windings, the second region having no windings inserted from the second coil.

[0007] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a method of manufacturing a long catheter is provided, the long catheter having a longitudinal axis extending between a proximal end and a distal end and having a lumen, the method including disposing a first end of a first coil near the proximal end of the catheter and disposing a second end of the first coil near the distal end of the catheter, providing a second coil, and threading a winding at one end of the second coil from the second end of the first coil along the longitudinal axis into the first coil to position at least a portion of the winding of the second coil in a region of the first coil that includes a plurality of adjacent coils. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1A] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary catheter. [Figure 1B] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a portion of the internal structure of an exemplary catheter. [Figure 1C] 1C shows a schematic structural diagram of a cross section of the distal portion of the exemplary catheter of FIG. 1B. [Figure 2A] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of a combination of two coils according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 2B] 2B shows a schematic diagram of a longitudinal cross section of a distal catheter section including the combined coil shown in FIG. 2A, where the coil is made of round wire. [Figure 2C] 2B shows a schematic diagram of a longitudinal cross section of a distal catheter section including the combined coil shown in FIG. 2A, the coil being made of flattened wire. [Figure 3A] FIG. 13 shows a schematic structural diagram of a combination of two coils according to another exemplary embodiment. [Figure 3B] 3B shows a schematic diagram of a longitudinal cross section of a distal portion of a catheter including the combination coil shown in FIG. 3A. [Figure 4A] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of a three coil combination according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 4B] 4B shows a schematic diagram of a longitudinal cross section of a distal portion of a catheter including the combined coil shown in FIG. 4A. [Figure 4C] 4B shows a perspective view of the combination coil of the embodiment of FIG. 4A. [Figure 5A] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of a four coil combination according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 5B] 5B shows a schematic diagram of a longitudinal cross section of a distal portion of a catheter including the combined coil shown in FIG. 5A. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] In order to explain how the above and other advantages and features of the present disclosure are obtained, the above briefly described principles will be more particularly described with reference to specific embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. These drawings are merely illustrative of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and should not be considered as limiting its scope, but rather it should be understood that the principles herein will be described and explained with particular examples and details with the aid of the accompanying drawings. Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are further detailed below, by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] Various embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below. While specific embodiments are described, it should be understood that this is done for illustrative purposes only. A person skilled in the art will recognize that other components and configurations can be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

[0011] In the following description, the same reference numbers refer to the same components. The term "proximal" refers to a direction closer to the operator when the catheter is in use, the term "distal" refers to a direction away from the operator when the catheter is in use, and the term "longitudinal" refers to a direction extending from the proximal end to the distal end along the longitudinal axis. The numbers in this description, e.g., "first", "second", "third", "fourth", "fifth", etc., are not used to limit these components / parts, but simply to indicate different components / parts.

[0012] The present disclosure provides a catheter having a distal section formed by combining two or more coils, the distal section having a variety of strengths as desired, provided that the distal section provides flexibility without affecting the maneuverability of the catheter, thereby enhancing the pushability of the catheter within a blood vessel and preventing the catheter from deforming under stress.

[0013] FIG. 1A shows an exemplary catheter 100. Referring to FIG. 1, the catheter 100 includes a hub 102, a connecting member 104, a catheter body, and a tip 108, the catheter body including a proximal section 106 and a distal section 110. The hub 102 is located at the proximal end of the catheter, and the connecting member 104 is disposed between the hub 102 and the catheter body for a soft / hard transition between the hub 102 and the catheter body. The catheter body is an elongated tubular body extending along a longitudinal axis between the proximal and distal ends of the catheter, and the interior of the catheter has a lumen for providing passage of a guidewire, a drug, or a surgical tool. The tip 108 is disposed at the distal end of the catheter body and has sufficient flexibility and toughness to prevent damage to the endothelium of a blood vessel that comes into contact with the tip.

[0014] The catheter body has a proximal section 106 located along its longitudinal axis near the proximal end of the catheter and a distal section 110 located near the distal end of the catheter. The stiffness of the proximal section 106 is greater than the stiffness of the distal section 110, so that the proximal section 106 provides a certain support strength and recoil to the distal section 110, allowing the catheter body to have sufficient torsional thrust and support strength.

[0015] FIG. 1B shows a schematic diagram of a portion of the internal structure of an exemplary catheter, and FIG. 1C shows a schematic diagram of a cross section of the distal portion of the catheter. As shown in FIG. 1B and FIG. 1C, the distal portion 110 is a concentric three-layer structure, including an inner layer 112 having a hollow lumen, a tubular middle layer 114 surrounding the inner layer, and a tubular outer layer 116 surrounding the middle layer 114, where the middle layer 114 may include a spring-like coil. Also, the proximal portion 106 of the catheter may be a concentric four-layer structure in addition to the inner layer 112, middle layer 114, and outer layer 116 extending to the distal portion, and in addition, a braided layer 118 may be included between the inner layer 112 and the outer layer 116 to provide a stiffness higher than that of the distal portion 110.

[0016] In some embodiments, the distal section 110 of the catheter is disposed at a position about 10-60 mm from the end of the tip 108 and may have an outer diameter range of about 0.2 mm to about 2 mm to achieve better side branch intervention. A portion of the catheter distal section 110 may be bent at an angle along the longitudinal axis of the catheter body such that when the catheter needs to pass through a bifurcation lesion in a blood vessel such as a coronary artery, the distal section may be pre-bent ex vivo at a corresponding angle to fit the included angle formed by the coronary artery bifurcation and main branch, thereby facilitating the catheter to smoothly pass through the bifurcation lesion. A hollow lumen may be formed in the inner layer of the catheter body and used to interpose necessary items such as drugs, guidewires, surgical tools, therapeutic elements, etc.

[0017] The catheter distal section 110 must be flexible and bendable to allow the catheter 100 to enter the distal vasculature by manipulating the guidewire, while the distal section must have a certain tensile strength so that it can be pushed through the stenosis in the blood vessel as the catheter 100 is advanced, and so that it does not deform under large tensile forces when the catheter 100 is withdrawn.

[0018] In the conventional catheter, the inner layer 112, the outer layer 116, and the intermediate layer 114 of the catheter distal section 110 are each made of a seamless, consistent material that extends from the proximal section 106 of the catheter, and the strength of each section is generally constant, so that the catheter can only provide a certain flexibility or tensile strength, which often cannot meet the requirements for use. Although the tensile strength of the distal section 110 can be changed by changing the wire material, wire thickness, number of wires, coil pitch, etc. of the coil of the intermediate layer 114, it is difficult to change the strength of the catheter distal section 110 as needed by such conventional means. In addition, such changes may increase the material cost, the difficulty of coil winding, or the complexity of the manufacturing process, thereby increasing the production cost.

[0019] In the present disclosure, two or more second coils are combined with a first coil in at least one region of the catheter distal section 110 to improve the tensile strength of the region. Additionally, the catheter distal section also includes at least one region where only a first coil is provided and no second coil is combined therewith, such that the catheter distal section 110 achieves different tensile strengths in different regions.

[0020] FIG. 2A shows a schematic structural diagram of a combination of two coils according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 2B and FIG. 2C show schematic diagrams of a longitudinal section including the catheter distal section of the embodiment of FIG. 2A. FIG. 2B shows a coil made of round wire, and FIG. 2C shows a coil made of flat wire. As shown in FIG. 2B and FIG. 2C, the catheter distal section 110 comprises a coil layer formed of a coil 230 formed by combining a first coil 210 and a second coil 220, an inner layer located inside the coil layer, and an outer layer located outside the coil layer.

[0021] Both the first coil 210 and the second coil 220 include multiple windings that form an internal cavity. The first coil 210 includes a first region 212 and a second region 214, each of which includes multiple adjacent windings, and the pitches of the first region 212 and the second region 214 may be different, with the pitch of the first region 212 being the same as the pitch of the second coil 220, which is wider than the wire width of the second coil 220.

[0022] In the first region 212, the windings of the second coil 220 are intertwined and inserted with the windings of the first coil 210, the windings of the second coil 220 are located between the windings of the first coil 210, and at least a portion of the windings of the second coil 220 abuts a portion of the windings of the first coil 210 in the direction of the longitudinal axis, so that the first coil 210 and the second coil 220 are combined in the first region 212 to form a combined coil 230. That is, the combined coil 230 includes two parts with different strengths: a first part 232 which is the second region 214 of the first coil, and a second part 234 which is a part formed by combining the first region 212 of the first coil 210 and the second coil 220.

[0023] When the combined coil 230 is subjected to a pushing or pulling force transmitted from the catheter proximal section 106, the winding of the first coil 210 moves first under the pushing or pulling force. Since the winding of the second coil 220 is inserted between the windings of the first coil 210, after the winding of the first coil 210 moves, at least a part of the winding of the second coil 220 is pressed against a part of the winding of the first coil 210 and collides with the winding of the first coil 210, thereby achieving the movement of the winding of the first coil 210 under the pushing / pulling force. When the combined coil is deformed under the influence of the pushing / pulling force transmitted from the catheter proximal section 106, a hysteresis phenomenon occurs due to the force transmission between the windings of the combined coil, so that the deformation amount of the combined part decreases and the load amount increases. That is, the amount of energy the spring can absorb and store after a load is applied changes, and thus the second portion 234 of the combined coil 230 exhibits a higher axial tensile strength than an uncombined single coil.

[0024] Although FIG. 2A shows the first coil 210 having only one first region 212 and one second region 214, it can be understood that the first coil 210 may have multiple first regions 212 and one or more second regions 214 between and / or outside these first regions, with one second coil 220 associated with each first region 212 and no second coil associated with the second region, such that each first region 212 has a tensile strength different from the tensile strength of the second region 214.

[0025] In one embodiment, the first region 212 of the first coil 210 and each winding of the second coil 220 in the combination have approximately the same inner and outer diameters, and the longitudinal axes of the first coil 210 and the second coil 220 are coincident, so that the internal cavity and outer walls of the formed combined coil 230 are not noticeably non-uniform due to a chaotic arrangement of the windings.

[0026] 2C, the first coil 210 and the second coil 220 can be two springs made of the same flat wire and having the same diameter, with the second coil 220 threaded onto the first coil 210 to form a seamless similar helical disc spring structure. This seamless disc structure increases the radial bearing force and axial tensile strength of the coil, thereby increasing its durability and reducing the risk of coil breakage.

[0027] In one embodiment, the first coil 210 and the second coil 220 have the same pitch in the combined first region 212, and the pitch is greater than or equal to the sum of the wire widths of the first coil and the second coil 220, such that each winding of the second coil 220 is located between two adjacent windings of the first coil 210.

[0028] For example, both the first coil 210 and the second coil 220 are solid-wire coils having the same wire width (or wire width), and both the pitches of the first region 212 of the first coil 210 and the second coil 220 are more than twice the wire width, and the two coils are assembled by mutual threading to obtain a combined coil that replaces the traditional two-wire coil, thereby increasing the axial tensile strength, unwinding resistance, and radial compressive strength of the coils.

[0029] As another example, if the first coil 210 is a solid wire coil and the second coil 220 comprises two or more solid wire coils having the same wire width, and both the first region 212 of the first coil 210 and the pitch of the multiple second coils 220 are three or more times the wire width of the coils, the first coil 210 and the multiple second coils 220 can be assembled by mutual threading to obtain a combined coil that replaces a typical three or more wire coil.

[0030] In one embodiment, the first coil 210 may extend between the proximal and distal ends of the catheter body to form an intermediate layer 114 that extends from the catheter proximal section 106 to the catheter distal section 110. The first coil 210 may be tapered, gradually decreasing in diameter from the proximal end to the distal end. That is, the diameter of the proximal winding is greater than the diameter of the distal winding, and the first region 212 is located only within the distal portion of the first coil 210.

[0031] In one embodiment, the first coil 210 and the second coil 220 may be formed by a seamless helical spring, with the windings of the distal and proximal portions of the formed combined coil 230 each having a constant pitch, but the pitch of the distal portion may be different from the pitch of the proximal portion, e.g., the pitch of the distal portion is wider than the pitch of the proximal portion. There may also be a transition between the distal and proximal portions, where the coil pitch of the transition portion is not constant but gradually changes in the longitudinal direction, e.g., gradually increases from the pitch of the proximal portion to the pitch of the distal portion, so that the shape of the combined coil 230 in the longitudinal direction does not suddenly change significantly.

[0032] In one embodiment, the pitch of the first region 212 of the first coil 210 is wider than the pitch of the second region 214, and the combined coil 230 formed after the first region 212 of the first coil 210 is combined with the second coil 220 may have approximately the same pitch as the second region 214 of the first coil 210, thereby preventing a large, sudden change in the longitudinal shape of the combined coil 230.

[0033] In one embodiment, the second region 214 of the first coil 210 has a PPI of 80, the first region 212 has a PPI of 40, the second coil 220 has a PPI of 40, and the combined region (second portion) 234 of the first coil 210 and second coil 220 has a PPI of 80. Pitches per inch (PPI) refers to the number of pitches in one inch of length.

[0034] In another embodiment, the second region 214 of the first coil 210 has a pitch per inch (PPI) of 80, and the first region 212 and the second coil 220 have a PPI of 26 or less.

[0035] In one embodiment, in the combined first region 212, the windings of the first coil 210 and second coil 220 have an outer diameter range of 0.5588-0.6604 mm and an inner diameter range of 0.4826-0.5842 mm.

[0036] In one embodiment, the first coil 210 and the second coil 220 can be made of the same material or different materials, for example, the material of both the first coil 210 and the second coil 220 is 304 stainless steel, or the material of the first coil 210 is 304 stainless steel while the material of the second coil 220 is a nickel-titanium alloy.

[0037] In the present disclosure, because the first coil 210 and the second coil 220 can be coils of the same material and size range as current catheters, a catheter with better performance than the prior art can be achieved at a production cost comparable to that of the prior art, thereby solving one or more of the technical problems described above.

[0038] Figure 3A shows a schematic structural diagram of a two coil combination according to another exemplary embodiment, and Figure 3B shows a schematic longitudinal cross-section including the distal catheter portion of the embodiment of Figure 3A.

[0039] 3A and 3B, the vicinity of the distal end of the first coil 310 includes a first region 312 and a second region 314 adjacent to the first region 312, both of which have multiple adjacent windings. Unlike that shown in FIG. 1A, the second coil 320 includes a proximal portion 322 and a distal portion 324, both of which have multiple adjacent windings and may have different pitches. The proximal portion 322 of the second coil 320 has the same length and pitch as the first region 312 of the first coil 310, and the windings of the proximal portion 322 of the second coil 320 are inserted into the windings in the first region 312 of the first coil, so that the first coil 310 and the second coil 320 are interdigitated. The windings of a distal portion 324 of the second coil 320 extend beyond the first coil 310 .

[0040] The combination coil 330 formed by the first coil 310 and the second coil 320 has three portions: a first portion 332 which is the second region 314 of the first coil 310, a second portion 334 which is a combination of the first region 312 of the first coil 310 and the proximal portion 322 of the second coil 320, and a third portion 336 which is the distal portion 324 of the second coil 320, thereby providing three regions with different tensile strengths.

[0041] For example, if the first coil 310 in the combined coil is a stainless steel spring and the second coil 320 is a nickel-titanium alloy spring, the tensile strength of the first portion is that of the stainless steel spring, the tensile strength of the second portion is that of the combined stainless steel spring and nickel-titanium alloy spring, and the tensile strength of the third portion is that of the nickel-titanium alloy spring. Among them, the tensile strength of the second portion 334 is the highest, followed by the tensile strength of the first portion 332, and the tensile strength of the third portion 336 is the lowest. Therefore, portions having different spring stiffness can be formed in the catheter distal portion 110, and the second portion 334 with high stiffness reduces the possibility of the catheter deforming / unwinding under stress, while the most distal third portion 336 is kept moderately flexible, providing good operability to the catheter.

[0042] Figure 4A shows a schematic structural diagram of a three coil combination according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 4B shows a schematic diagram of a longitudinal cross section including a distal catheter portion of the embodiment of Figure 4A. Figure 4C shows a three-dimensional perspective schematic diagram of the combination coil of the embodiment of Figure 4A.

[0043] In Figures 4A, 4B, and 4C, the catheter distal section 110 is formed by combining three coils. The first coil 410 is similar to the first coil 310 of Figure 3A, in that the first coil 410 includes a first region 412 and a second region 414 having multiple windings, the pitch of the first region 412 being wider than the pitch of the second region 414. The second coil 420 has the same pitch as the first region 412 of the first coil 410, so that the second coil can be inserted into the windings of the first region 412 of the first coil 410.

[0044] Unlike that shown in FIG. 3A , the length of the second coil 420 exceeds the length of the first region 412, such that even after the proximal end of the second coil 420 is screwed into the first coil 410 from the distal end of the first coil 410 until the second coil is fully assembled with the first coil 410 in the first region 412, there is still a portion of the second coil 420 near its proximal end that extends beyond the distal end of the first coil 410.

[0045] A third coil 430, having two portions with different pitches, with a proximal portion 432 having the same pitch as the second coil 420, is threaded onto the second coil 420 and combined with the portion of the second coil 420 that extends beyond the first coil 410. The pitch of a distal portion 434 of the third coil may be less than the pitch of the first portion that extends beyond the second coil 420.

[0046] As such, the combination coil 440 may have four portions: a first portion 442, which is the second region 414 of the first coil 410; a second portion 444, which is the combined portion of the first coil 410 and the second coil 420; a third portion 446, which is the combined portion of the second coil 420 and the third coil 430; and a fourth portion 448, which is the distal portion 434 of the third coil 430, thereby providing up to four regions with different tensile strengths.

[0047] For example, if the first coil 410 and the second coil 420 in the combination coil 440 are stainless steel springs and the third coil 430 is a nickel-titanium alloy spring, the tensile strength of the first portion is the tensile strength of the stainless steel spring, the tensile strength of the second portion is the tensile strength of the combination of the two stainless steel springs, the tensile strength of the third portion is the tensile strength of the combination of the stainless steel spring and the nickel-titanium alloy spring, and the tensile strength of the fourth portion is the tensile strength of the nickel-titanium alloy spring.

[0048] Figure 5A shows a schematic structural diagram of the distal portion of a four coil combination according to an exemplary embodiment, and Figure 5B shows a schematic diagram of a longitudinal cross section including the distal portion of the catheter of the embodiment of Figure 5A.

[0049] 5A, the catheter distal section 110 is formed by combining four coils. The first coil 510 includes a first region 512 and a second region 514 having multiple windings, the pitches of the first region 512 and the second region 514 being different. The second coil 520 has the same pitch as the first region 512 of the first coil 510, so that the second coil 520 can be threaded onto the first coil 510 from the distal end of the first coil 510 and combined at the first region 512.

[0050] The third coil 530 has a proximal portion 532 and a distal portion 534 having different pitches, and the pitch of the proximal portion 532 is the same as the pitch of the second coil 520, such that the proximal portion 532 of the third coil 530 can be screwed into the second coil 520 from the distal end of the second coil 520 so as to be combined with the second coil 520 and the first coil 510.

[0051] The fourth coil 540 includes a proximal portion 542, an intermediate portion 544, and a distal portion 546 having a gradually narrowing pitch, where the pitch of the proximal portion 542 is the same as the pitch of the proximal portion 532 of the third coil, and the pitch of the intermediate portion 544 is the same as the pitch of the distal portion 534 of the third coil, such that the proximal portion 542 and intermediate portion 544 of the fourth coil 540 may be threaded into the third coil from a distal end of the third coil and combined with the third coil 530 and the second coil 520. The distal portion 546 of the fourth coil 540 extends beyond the third coil 530 without combining with any coil, and the distal portion 546 may have a narrower pitch.

[0052] The pitch of the first region 512 of the first coil 510 is wider than the sum of the wire widths of the second coil 520 and the third coil 530, so that the second coil 520 and the third coil 530 can be screwed into the first region 512 simultaneously.

[0053] The windings of the fourth coil 540 are located between the windings of the second coil 520 and the windings of the third coil 530 , but not between the windings of the first coil 510 .

[0054] The combination coil 550 has five different components: a first portion 551 which is the second region 514 of the first coil 510, a second portion 553 which is the combined portion of the first region 512 of the first coil 510, the second coil 520, and the proximal portion 532 of the third coil, a third portion 555 which is the combined portion of the second coil 520, the proximal portion 532 of the third coil, and the proximal portion 542 of the fourth coil, a fourth portion 557 which is the combined portion of the distal portion 534 of the third coil 530 and the intermediate portion 544 of the fourth coil, and a fifth portion 559 which is the distal portion 546 of the fourth coil 540. Thus, the combination coil 550 may have five sections with different strengths.

[0055] In the above embodiments, the coils shown are single wire coils, but in other embodiments, any one of the coils may be a multi-wire coil, i.e., a coil formed by winding at least two equal sized wires. If a multi-wire coil is used in the combination, the pitch of the coils is configured according to the width of the multi-wire wire, and the pitch of the coils used in the combination is equal to or greater than the sum of the wire widths of the coils used in the combination, so that the coils can be threaded together to form a winding structure without overlaps and seams.

[0056] In the above embodiment, the coils shown are cylindrical helical springs since the catheter body is generally cylindrical, however, in other embodiments, any one of the coils could be a spring of other shape that fits the shape of the catheter body.

[0057] In the figures of the exemplary embodiments, the wire for the coil is shown as a round wire or a flat wire. In some preferred embodiments, the wire for the coil is a flat wire, but is not limited thereto, and the wire for the coil can be other shaped wires. The material for the coil can be selected as needed, and the material for different coils can be the same or different to achieve different flexibility or meet different tensile strength requirements.

[0058] The above embodiments in which multiple coils are combined are merely exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. In practical use, those skilled in the art may combine different numbers of coils with different pitches in different regions as needed to achieve a coil layer with desired strength in a given region.

[0059] We measured the spring stiffness of single coils and combined coils under the condition that the single coils have the same or similar parameters (including inner diameter, outer diameter, cross-sectional area, and material properties). The measurement results are shown in Table I. [Table 1]

[0060] From Table I, it can be seen that the spring stiffness of the combined coil formed by two single-wire coils is much higher than the spring stiffness of either a single-wire coil or a multi-wire coil under similar other parameter conditions (more than 10 times the spring stiffness of a single-wire coil, or more than 1.5 times the spring stiffness of a 14-wire coil). This shows that when the combined coil is loaded, the hysteresis effect reduces the amount of deformation, which increases the load per unit of deformation (i.e., increases the spring stiffness).

[0061] In the present disclosure, a novel helical coil is obtained by helically combining two or more single-wire coils together, which replaces a multi-wire coil. The axial tensile strength and radial compressive strength of the combined coil are improved by the mutual contact of the coils pressed against each other, and the ability to resist axial unwinding is also improved, thereby improving the bearing strength, reliability, robustness, and durability of the catheter.

[0062] For purposes of this description, the "axial tensile strength" of a coil can be expressed in terms of the spring stiffness of the coil, which is the ratio of the load capacity of the spring to the amount of deformation, or the load required per unit of deformation.

[0063] The present disclosure further provides a method of manufacturing a long catheter, the long catheter having a longitudinal axis extending between a proximal end and a distal end and having a lumen or cavity, the method including disposing a first end of a first coil near the proximal end of the catheter and disposing a second end of the first coil near the distal end of the catheter, providing a second coil, and threading a winding at one end of the second coil from the second end of the first coil along the longitudinal axis into the first coil to position at least a portion of the winding of the second coil in a first region of the first coil that includes a plurality of adjacent coils.

[0064] In one embodiment, the length of the first coil exceeds the length of the second coil, the first coil comprising at least one second region in which no turns of the second coil are inserted.

[0065] In one embodiment, in order to prevent the two screwed coil ends from being offset or displaced in the combined first region winding of the first coil and the multiple second coils, the windings of the first coil and the second coil are connected at several positions. For example, the first coil winding and the second coil winding that abut against each other are subjected to partial spot welding by laser welding at the two ends and the middle part or other suitable parts to ensure that the contours of the multiple coils after screwing overlap concentrically, thereby obtaining stable and uniform outer and inner diameters and reducing the risk of the first coil and the second coil separating from each other under stress.

[0066] The first coil can be a spring layer that extends from the proximal end to the distal end of the catheter, and the second coil is combined with the first coil in a specific region distal to the first coil to increase the axial tensile strength and radial bending strength of the specific region, and the second coil does not extend to the proximal portion of the catheter.

[0067] A catheter using the combination coil of the present disclosure as a spring layer can be inserted percutaneously into a blood vessel to support and guide a guidewire as it passes through a localized stenotic lesion in the blood vessel, thereby preventing the guidewire from being unable to pass through the stenotic lesion, or can be used to replace another guidewire. For example, the catheter can be used as a device for percutaneous coronary intervention therapy.

[0068] The above embodiments are described herein only as examples. Many variations are possible without departing from the scope of the present disclosure defined in the claims. Various examples and other information are used to describe various aspects within the scope of the appended claims, but specific functions or configurations in such examples should not be used as limitations on the scope of the claims, since those skilled in the art can use the examples of these claims to derive various implementation forms.

[0069] Moreover, although certain subject matter may be described in this specification in exemplary language for specific structural features and / or method steps, it should be understood that the subject matter defined in the claims is not necessarily limited to the described features or acts. For example, such functionality may be distributed or performed differently in components other than those recited herein. The described features and steps are disclosed merely as example components of systems and methods within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. 1. A catheter comprising an elongate tubular body extending along a longitudinal axis between a proximal end and a distal end, the elongate tubular body having a lumen; at least a portion of the elongated tubular body is defined by a first coil, the first coil comprising a plurality of windings extending along and about the longitudinal axis; the first coil is disposed near a distal end of the elongated tubular body and comprises at least one first region including a plurality of adjacent windings, the first region having a plurality of windings inserted therein from at least one second coil, the inserted windings of the second coil being positioned between the windings of the first coil; the first coil further comprising at least one second region including a plurality of adjacent windings, the second region having no windings inserted from the second coil; a catheter in which at least one winding of the second coil is inserted between windings of the first coil by threading the second coil into the first coil along the longitudinal axis, and a wire for any one of the coils is a flat wire.

2. The catheter of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the windings of the second coil abuts a portion of the windings of the first coil in the first region.

3. 3. The catheter of claim 2, wherein at least a portion of the windings of the second coil are configured to compress against a portion of the windings of the first coil in the first region when the catheter is pushed or pulled along a longitudinal axis of the elongated tubular body.

4. The catheter of claim 1 , wherein in the first region, the turns of the second coil have approximately the same diameter as the turns of the first coil.

5. 5. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the first region is disposed at a predetermined location of the first coil along the longitudinal axis to provide an axially varying strength distribution to the elongated tubular body.

6. a third coil having a plurality of windings; The catheter of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the windings of the third coil are located between windings of the second coil and not between windings of the first coil.

7. The catheter of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein any one of the coils is a helical spring.

8. The catheter of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein any one of the coils is a single wire spring or a multi-wire spring.

9. The catheter of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first coil and the second coil are made of the same material.

10. The catheter of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first coil and the second coil are made of different materials.

11. 10. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the pitch of the first coil transitions gradually along the longitudinal axis from a first number of pitches per inch at the proximal end to a second number of pitches per inch.

12. 12. The catheter of claim 11, wherein the first number of pitches per inch is 80 and the second number of pitches per inch is 40, or 26, or less than 26.

13. 13. The catheter of claim 12, wherein the second coil has a pitch per inch of 40, or 26, or less than 26.

14. 14. The catheter of claim 1, wherein in the first region, the first coil and the second coil have an outer diameter range of 0.5588 to 0.6604 mm and an inner diameter range of 0.4826 to 0.5842 mm.

15. 1. A method of manufacturing an elongate catheter, the elongate catheter having a longitudinal axis extending between a proximal end and a distal end and having a lumen, the method comprising: disposing a first end of a first coil near a proximal end of the elongate catheter and a second end of the first coil near a distal end of the elongate catheter; Providing a second coil; and threading a winding at one end of the second coil into the first coil from a second end of the first coil along the longitudinal axis to position at least a portion of the winding of the second coil in a region of the first coil that includes a plurality of adjacent coils; A method wherein the wire for any one of said coils is a flat wire.

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